MAVEN's Final Hour: Mars Orbiter Crisis + Historic ISS Evacuation Update & Lunar Timekeeping

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Anna: Welcome to Astronomy Daily, your source for

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the latest space and astronomy news. I'm

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Anna.

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Avery: And I'm, um, avery. It's Saturday, January

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17, 2026, and we've got an

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absolutely packed episode for you today.

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Anna: We really do. And we're leading with some

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bittersweet news from Mars. NASA's making

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what might be their final attempt to contact

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the Maven Orbiter, which has been silent for

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over a month now. It's looking increasingly

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unlikely that they'll be able to recover the

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spacecra.

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Avery: That's tough news, but we've also got some

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incredible human achievements to celebrate.

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The SpaceX crew, 11 astronauts have

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safely returned to Houston following the

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first ever medical evacuation from the

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International Space Station. We'll get into

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the details of how that historic operation

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unfolded.

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Anna: Europe's stepping up its launch game too.

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Arianespace has announced they'll be

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launching the first Ariane 6.4 Rocket on

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February 12th. That's the more powerful 4

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booster version. This is a big deal for

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European space capabilities.

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Avery: We're also diving into some fascinating

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research today. Scientists have been using

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CERN's particle accelerators to simulate

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asteroid impacts. And what they discovered

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about iron rich space rocks could change how

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we approach planetary defense.

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Anna: Then we've got something that sounds like

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science fiction, but is very real. China has

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released the world's first practical software

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for keeping time on the Moon. Yes,

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lunar timekeeping is now a thing and it's

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more important than you might think.

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Avery: And we'll wrap up with some stunning new

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images from from Hubble. Even after 35 years

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in orbit, it's still showing us where planets

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are born in protoplanetary disks around young

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stars.

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Anna: Lots to cover. So let's get started.

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Avery: Let's start with that Mars story. Anna.

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NASA's Maven orbiter has been one of our most

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valuable assets at Mars for over a decade.

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What's the latest on the recovery efforts?

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Anna: Well, it's not looking good, I'm afraid.

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Maven, that's the Mars Atmosphere and

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Volatile Evolution Orbiter went silent on

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December 6, 2025, and NASA has

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unable to re establish contact ever since.

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The spacecraft has been orbiting Mars since

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2014, providing invaluable data

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about the Martian atmosphere and serving as a

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critical communications relay for the

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Curiosity and Perseverance rovers.

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Avery: So what exactly happened? I mean,

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communications blackouts aren't completely

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unusual for Mars missions, right?

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Anna: You're right, they're not. In this case,

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Maven passed behind Mars, which

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temporarily blocks communication. That's a

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routine occurrence. But when it should have

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emerged on the other side, NASA's Deep Space

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Network couldn't regain contact. What makes

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it worse is that this happened right before a

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solar conjunction.

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Avery: That's when the sun sits directly between

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Earth and Mars, correct?

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Anna: Exactly. During solar conjunction, which

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occurs roughly every two years, solar

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particles interfere with radio signals.

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NASA, uh, temporarily halts all

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communications with Mars missions during this

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period to avoid sending corrupted commands

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or receiving incomplete data that could

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damage spacecraft. Though the conjunction

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basically meant NASA had to wait before they

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could even try to recover Maven.

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Avery: And, um, that conjunction period just ended.

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Anna: Right? NASA said they wouldn't have contact

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with any Mars missions until Friday, January

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16th. So as of today, they're making

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renewed attempts to contact Maven. But here's

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the concerning part. Louise Proctor, the

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director of NASA's Planetary Science

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Division, said on January 13, and

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I quote, we'll start looking again, but

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at this point, it's looking very unlikely

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that we are going to be able to recover the

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spacecraft.

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Avery: That's pretty pessimistic language from NASA.

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Do we know what might have caused the initial

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failure?

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Anna: The leading theory is that Maven started

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rotating unexpectedly after passing behind

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Mars. This would have shifted the spacecraft

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out of its planned orbit and potentially

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moved its antenna away from Earth. But

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here's where it gets more complicated. Maven

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has had aging hardware issues for years now.

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Avery: What kind of issues are we talking about?

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Anna: The spacecraft has had problems with its

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onboard inertial measurement units, or

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IMUs, which are essential for

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orientation in space. Back in

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2022, Maven spent about three months

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in safe mode. Because of IMU problems,

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the mission team had to rely on backup

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systems that have experienced accelerated

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wear and tear. They even developed an

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alternative all stellar navigation mode that

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uses stars for orientation instead of relying

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on the imus.

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Avery: So it sounds like Maven has been living on

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borrowed time for a while now.

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Anna: In some ways, yes. The spacecraft's

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inability to fully recover from those 2022

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outages led to missed observations of

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significant solar flares and disrupted its

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communications relay role. That said,

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Maven still has enough fuel to remain in

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orbit until at least 2030. So the

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hardware could theoretically keep working if

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they can just re establish contact.

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Avery: What's the impact going to be if they can't

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recover it? I imagine the rovers depend on

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these orbiters for communications.

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Anna: That's a great point. Maven has been, uh, a

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key communications relay for the Curiosity

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and Perseverance rovers. With Maven

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offline, NASA has had to shift more of that

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burden to other orbiters, specifically Mars

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Reconnaissance Orbiter and Mars Odyssey.

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This puts increased pressure on those

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Spacecraft to maintain communications and

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support surface science.

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Avery: Activities and scientifically, what are we

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losing?

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Anna: Maven's scientific contributions have been

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enormous. It's helped us understand how

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Mars lost its once thick atmosphere and

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became the cold dry world it is today.

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The data it collected on Martian weather

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patterns, dust storms and auroras

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provided insights into the planet's climate

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system and potential habitability. Without

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Maven, we'd have critical gaps in our

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ongoing atmospheric studies of Mars.

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Avery: So fingers crossed that these new contact

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attempts work out. When um, will we know

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more?

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Anna: NASA should have results from their latest

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attempts very soon, but given the

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pessimistic tone from their leadership, I

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think we need to prepare for the possibility

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that Maven's remarkable decade long mission

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may have come to an end. It would be a sad

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conclusion to such a successful spacecraft,

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but it's given us more than 10 years of

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groundbreaking science.

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Avery: Absolutely. And that's well beyond its

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original design life, right?

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Anna: Oh, definitely. Like so many NASA

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missions, it far exceeded expectations.

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Let's hope there's one more surprise left in

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it. Here's hoping. Moving from Mars back

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to closer to home.

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Let's talk about that historic ISS medical

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evacuation. Avery, this was really

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unprecedented.

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Avery: It absolutely was. The four astronauts of

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SpaceX's Crew 11 mission are now safely

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back in Houston after splashing down off the

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coast of Long Beach, California early

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Thursday morning. This marked the very first

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medical evacuation from the International

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Space Station in its more than 25 year

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history.

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Anna: Who were the crew members involved?

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Avery: The crew consisted of NASA astronauts Zena

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Cardman and Mike Finke, Kimiya Yui from

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Japan's Aerospace Agency, and cosmonaut

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Oleg Platanov from Roscosmos.

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They launched back in early August for what

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was supposed to be a standard six month stay

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aboard the station.

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Anna: So they came home about five weeks early,

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correct?

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Avery: That's right. One of the four crew members

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experienced a medical issue in orbit last

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week and NASA made the decision to bring the

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entire crew home ahead of schedule.

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Now NASA has been very protective of medical

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privacy, which is absolutely appropriate. So

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they haven't disclosed which crew member had

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the issue or what the specific medical

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problem was.

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Anna: What do we know about how they're doing now?

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Avery: According to NASA's latest update from Friday

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afternoon, all four crew members are stable

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and undergoing standard post flight

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reconditioning and evaluations at uh, Johnson

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Space Center. After splashing down, they

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spent about a day and night at a local

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medical facility in California before flying

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to Houston.

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Anna: I have to say the fact that they described

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them as stable and that they're doing

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Standard post flight evaluations

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suggests this wasn't a dire emergency

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situation.

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Avery: That's my read on it too. And NASA officials

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have been pretty clear about describing this

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as a deliberate, carefully planned operation

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rather than a panic situation. In fact, one

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NASA representative said, and um, I'm, um,

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paraphrasing here. This is NASA at its

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finest, referring to how smoothly the

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evacuation and splashdown went.

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Anna: Can you walk us through what a medical

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evacuation from the ISS actually involves?

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This seems incredibly complex.

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Avery: It is. First, you have to understand that the

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ISS has medical capabilities on board.

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There's medical equipment supplies, and the

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crew receives training to handle various

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medical situations. They can consult with

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flight surgeons on the ground in real time.

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But sometimes ground based medical care is

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simply necessary, either for more advanced

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diagnostic equipment or for treatment options

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that aren't available in orbit.

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Anna: So, uh, the decision to bring someone home is

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never made lightly.

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Avery: Exactly. In this case, the medical issue

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required evaluation and potential treatment

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that couldn't be done on the station. Once

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that call was made, they had to prepare the

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crew Dragon spacecraft, the same one they

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arrived in, named Endeavour, for an early

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departure. This involves checking all

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systems, planning the undocking and reentry

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trajectory, coordinating with recovery teams,

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and making sure weather conditions would be

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suitable for splashdown.

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Anna: And they successfully executed all of that in

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just a few days.

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Avery: They did. The crew undocked from the ISS on

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January 14, completed their deorbit

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burn and splashed down safely early on

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January 15th. Recovery teams were standing by

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and quickly retrieved the capsule and crew.

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The whole operation went remarkably smoothly.

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Anna: What about the ISS itself? How is it

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operating with a reduced crew?

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Avery: That's a great question. Right now the

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station is operating with what they're

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calling a skeleton crew of just three people.

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NASA astronaut Chris Williams and two

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Roscosmos cosmonauts Sergei Kuts

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Vertskov and Sergei Mikayev. That's less

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than half the normal complement of seven crew

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members.

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Anna: Can three people effectively run the iss?

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Avery: They can maintain it and keep critical

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systems running, but it definitely limits

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what science can be done. The station won't

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return to its full operational capacity until

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SpaceX's Crew 12 mission arrives. That's

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currently scheduled for February 15, though

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NASA and SpaceX are looking at whether they

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can move that timeline up a bit.

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Anna: I imagine this whole situation must have been

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quite stressful for everyone involved.

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Avery: No doubt, but what strikes me is how calmly

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and professionally it was handled. In one of

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the final communications before undocking,

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Crew 11 Commander Mike Finke said it was

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bittersweet to be leaving early. He handed

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over command of the ISS to Chris Williams,

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and you could hear in his voice that he would

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have preferred to complete the flight full

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mission, but he also understood the necessity

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of coming home.

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Anna: It really speaks to the incredible planning

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and preparation that goes into human

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spaceflight. Even in an off nominal

291
00:11:30.640 --> 00:11:32.840
situation like this. The systems and

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00:11:32.840 --> 00:11:35.280
procedures worked exactly as designed.

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Avery: And I think it's worth noting that this won't

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affect other upcoming missions. NASA

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Administrator Jared Isaacman specifically

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stated that this ISS evacuation shouldn't

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interfere with the upcoming Artemis 2 moon

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mission, which is still on track for a

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possible launch as early as February 6th.

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Anna: That's good to hear. Well, here's hoping for

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a full recovery for whichever crew member

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00:11:57.080 --> 00:11:59.800
needed the medical attention. And kudos to

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everyone involved in executing such a complex

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00:12:02.640 --> 00:12:04.440
operation so flawlessly.

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Avery: Agreed. It really was NASA at its

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00:12:07.560 --> 00:12:08.040
finest.

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Anna: Switching gears now to European spaceflight.

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Avery. Europe is about to debut a

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significantly more powerful version of its

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00:12:16.680 --> 00:12:17.560
new rocket, right?

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Avery: That's right, Anna. Arianespace has announced

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00:12:20.360 --> 00:12:23.320
that the first flight of the Ariane 64 will

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launch on February 12 from the Guyana Space

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center in French Guiana. This is the four

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00:12:28.280 --> 00:12:30.920
booster configuration of the Ariane 6, and it

316
00:12:30.920 --> 00:12:33.599
represents a major step up in capability for

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00:12:33.599 --> 00:12:34.720
European launch services.

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Anna: Let's back up a second for anyone who might

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00:12:37.760 --> 00:12:40.520
not be familiar with the Ariane 6. Can you

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00:12:40.520 --> 00:12:41.440
give us the background?

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00:12:41.840 --> 00:12:44.640
Avery: Sure. Huh? The Ariane 6 is Europe's newest

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heavy lift rocket, designed to replace the

323
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Ariane 5, which served for nearly three

324
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decades. The inaugural flight was back in

325
00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:54.540
July 2024. And throughout 2025,

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Arianespace flew four more missions, all

327
00:12:57.620 --> 00:13:00.540
carrying payloads for organizations like ESA,

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00:13:00.780 --> 00:13:03.380
Umetsat and Sinas. The French Space

329
00:13:03.380 --> 00:13:03.980
Agency.

330
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Anna: And all of those flights used the Ariane

331
00:13:06.980 --> 00:13:08.460
62 configuration?

332
00:13:09.020 --> 00:13:11.860
Avery: Exactly. The Ariane 62 uses

333
00:13:11.860 --> 00:13:14.620
two P120C solid fuel boosters

334
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strapped to the side of the rocket's core

335
00:13:16.500 --> 00:13:18.940
stage. Each of those boosters produces

336
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roughly 4,500 kilonewtons of thrust.

337
00:13:21.820 --> 00:13:23.580
It's been doing great for medium lift

338
00:13:23.580 --> 00:13:25.780
missions with a capacity to deliver about

339
00:13:25.780 --> 00:13:28.140
10.3 tons to low Earth orbit.

340
00:13:28.460 --> 00:13:31.300
Anna: So the Ariane 64 just adds two

341
00:13:31.300 --> 00:13:32.860
more boosters, right?

342
00:13:33.019 --> 00:13:35.900
Avery: It uses four of those P120C boosters

343
00:13:35.900 --> 00:13:38.220
instead of two. And that makes a dramatic

344
00:13:38.220 --> 00:13:41.100
difference in capability. The Ariane 64

345
00:13:41.180 --> 00:13:44.180
can deliver up to 21.6 tons to

346
00:13:44.180 --> 00:13:46.280
low Earth orbit, more than double what the

347
00:13:46.280 --> 00:13:49.280
Ariane 62 can handle. That puts it in the

348
00:13:49.280 --> 00:13:51.480
heavy lift category, competing with rockets

349
00:13:51.480 --> 00:13:53.280
like SpaceX's Falcon Heavy.

350
00:13:53.520 --> 00:13:56.440
Anna: That's a significant jump. What's driving the

351
00:13:56.440 --> 00:13:58.320
need for this more powerful version.

352
00:13:58.720 --> 00:14:01.000
Avery: Well, this first mission actually gives us a

353
00:14:01.000 --> 00:14:03.880
perfect example. The Ariane 6 4's first

354
00:14:03.880 --> 00:14:05.800
flight will be launching satellites for

355
00:14:05.800 --> 00:14:08.320
Amazon's Project Cooper Broadband Internet

356
00:14:08.320 --> 00:14:10.880
Constellation. Arianespace has an 18

357
00:14:10.880 --> 00:14:13.360
flight contract with Amazon, and this first

358
00:14:13.360 --> 00:14:16.160
mission, designated LE01, which

359
00:14:16.160 --> 00:14:18.820
stands LEO Europe 01, will

360
00:14:18.820 --> 00:14:21.100
deploy 32 Cooper satellites.

361
00:14:21.260 --> 00:14:23.740
Anna: Amazon's competing with SpaceX's

362
00:14:23.740 --> 00:14:24.700
Starlink, right?

363
00:14:24.940 --> 00:14:27.300
Avery: That's right. Amazon already has about

364
00:14:27.300 --> 00:14:29.820
180 satellites in orbit, and they're

365
00:14:29.820 --> 00:14:31.660
rapidly building out the Constellation.

366
00:14:31.980 --> 00:14:34.460
Having access to the more powerful Ariane

367
00:14:34.460 --> 00:14:37.060
64 means they can launch more satellites at

368
00:14:37.060 --> 00:14:39.460
once, which speeds up the deployment schedule

369
00:14:39.460 --> 00:14:41.460
and reduces the total number of launches

370
00:14:41.460 --> 00:14:41.900
needed.

371
00:14:42.220 --> 00:14:44.460
Anna: Is there anything else notable about this

372
00:14:44.460 --> 00:14:45.420
particular flight?

373
00:14:45.880 --> 00:14:48.480
Avery: Yes, actually. This will be the first Ariane

374
00:14:48.480 --> 00:14:51.440
6 mission to use the rocket's larger 20 meter

375
00:14:51.440 --> 00:14:54.160
long fairing. All previous flights used a

376
00:14:54.160 --> 00:14:57.160
shorter 14 meter fairing. The longer fairing

377
00:14:57.160 --> 00:14:59.800
provides more volume for larger payloads, or

378
00:14:59.800 --> 00:15:02.120
in this case, for fitting more satellites

379
00:15:02.120 --> 00:15:03.320
into the payload stack.

380
00:15:03.720 --> 00:15:05.320
Anna: How long will the mission last?

381
00:15:05.720 --> 00:15:08.040
Avery: Ariane Stace hasn't published a complete

382
00:15:08.040 --> 00:15:10.120
mission breakdown yet, but they've stated the

383
00:15:10.120 --> 00:15:12.640
entire flight will last one hour and 54

384
00:15:12.640 --> 00:15:15.390
minutes. That presumably includes deploying

385
00:15:15.390 --> 00:15:18.230
all 32 satellites and then deorbiting the

386
00:15:18.230 --> 00:15:20.470
rocket's upper stage in a controlled manner,

387
00:15:20.470 --> 00:15:22.710
which is important for reducing space debris.

388
00:15:22.950 --> 00:15:25.390
Anna: What does this mean for Arianespace's launch

389
00:15:25.390 --> 00:15:26.550
cadence going forward?

390
00:15:27.110 --> 00:15:29.950
Avery: They're being pretty ambitious. Arianespace

391
00:15:29.950 --> 00:15:32.350
is aiming to double the number of Ariane 6

392
00:15:32.350 --> 00:15:34.950
launches this year compared to 2025.

393
00:15:35.350 --> 00:15:37.750
That would mean as many as eight Ariane 6

394
00:15:37.750 --> 00:15:40.440
flights over the next 12 months. Given that

395
00:15:40.440 --> 00:15:42.560
they're still ramping up operations with what

396
00:15:42.560 --> 00:15:45.080
is still a fairly new rocket, that's a

397
00:15:45.080 --> 00:15:46.840
challenging goal, but it shows their

398
00:15:46.840 --> 00:15:47.280
confidence.

399
00:15:47.680 --> 00:15:49.760
Anna: Are there any other upgrades in the works?

400
00:15:50.240 --> 00:15:53.200
Avery: Actually, yes. The company is developing an

401
00:15:53.200 --> 00:15:55.679
upgraded version of the solid fuel booster

402
00:15:55.679 --> 00:15:58.640
called the P160C. It carries

403
00:15:58.640 --> 00:16:01.600
an additional 14 tons of solid propellant

404
00:16:01.600 --> 00:16:04.000
compared to the current P120C.

405
00:16:04.480 --> 00:16:06.720
That upgrade has already been fully qualified

406
00:16:06.720 --> 00:16:09.600
for use on Both the Ariane 62 for medium

407
00:16:09.600 --> 00:16:12.460
lift missions, the Ariane 644 for heavy

408
00:16:12.460 --> 00:16:15.300
lift, the Vega C for smaller payloads and

409
00:16:15.300 --> 00:16:17.860
these future upgrades. Europe is positioning

410
00:16:17.860 --> 00:16:19.780
itself to be very competitive in the

411
00:16:19.780 --> 00:16:22.220
commercial launch market. And that's crucial,

412
00:16:22.300 --> 00:16:24.740
especially as we see increasing competition

413
00:16:24.740 --> 00:16:27.619
from SpaceX, China and other emerging launch

414
00:16:27.619 --> 00:16:28.220
providers.

415
00:16:28.540 --> 00:16:31.220
Anna: Will the, uh, February 12 launch be publicly

416
00:16:31.220 --> 00:16:31.660
viewable?

417
00:16:31.900 --> 00:16:34.500
Avery: Arianespace typically provides live coverage

418
00:16:34.500 --> 00:16:36.540
of their launches, so I'd expect we'll be

419
00:16:36.540 --> 00:16:38.700
able to watch this historic first flight of

420
00:16:38.700 --> 00:16:41.360
the Ariane 6 4. It should be quite a

421
00:16:41.360 --> 00:16:43.720
sight. Those four boosters firing together

422
00:16:43.720 --> 00:16:45.720
should make for an impressive liftoff.

423
00:16:45.880 --> 00:16:48.320
Anna: I'll definitely be watching. It's great to

424
00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:50.680
see Europe maintaining and expanding its

425
00:16:50.680 --> 00:16:52.200
independent access to space.

426
00:16:52.680 --> 00:16:52.950
Avery: Anna.

427
00:16:52.950 --> 00:16:55.080
Uh, let's talk about planetary defense.

428
00:16:55.320 --> 00:16:56.960
Scientists have been conducting some

429
00:16:56.960 --> 00:16:59.160
fascinating experiments using particle

430
00:16:59.160 --> 00:17:01.560
accelerators to understand how asteroids

431
00:17:01.560 --> 00:17:03.640
might respond to deflection attempts.

432
00:17:03.880 --> 00:17:06.170
Anna: This is really cool work, Avery. An

433
00:17:06.170 --> 00:17:08.810
international research team used CERN's High

434
00:17:08.810 --> 00:17:11.410
Radiation to Materials facility, that's

435
00:17:11.410 --> 00:17:14.370
HIRADMAT, to simulate what happens when

436
00:17:14.370 --> 00:17:17.010
high energy impacts strike iron rich

437
00:17:17.010 --> 00:17:19.210
asteroids. And what they found could

438
00:17:19.210 --> 00:17:21.050
significantly change our approach to

439
00:17:21.050 --> 00:17:22.130
planetary defense.

440
00:17:22.530 --> 00:17:24.730
Avery: Before we get into the results, can you set

441
00:17:24.730 --> 00:17:26.610
up the context? Uh, why is this research

442
00:17:26.690 --> 00:17:27.090
important?

443
00:17:27.650 --> 00:17:29.570
Anna: Sure. We know There are around

444
00:17:29.650 --> 00:17:32.290
37,000 known near Earth

445
00:17:32.290 --> 00:17:35.090
asteroids and 120 short period

446
00:17:35.090 --> 00:17:37.290
comets whose orbits bring them close to

447
00:17:37.290 --> 00:17:40.110
Earth. While scientists are confident that

448
00:17:40.110 --> 00:17:42.270
none of the known potentially hazardous

449
00:17:42.270 --> 00:17:44.590
objects will strike Earth within the next

450
00:17:44.590 --> 00:17:47.310
century, we know that eventually planetary

451
00:17:47.310 --> 00:17:48.830
defense measures will be needed.

452
00:17:49.150 --> 00:17:51.630
Avery: And NASA's DART mission demonstrated one

453
00:17:51.630 --> 00:17:53.470
approach. The kinetic impactor.

454
00:17:53.790 --> 00:17:56.430
Anna: Exactly. In 2022, Dart

455
00:17:56.430 --> 00:17:58.950
successfully struck the asteroid Dimorphos

456
00:17:58.950 --> 00:18:01.270
and altered its orbit. But to do this

457
00:18:01.270 --> 00:18:03.710
reliably and develop effective defense

458
00:18:03.710 --> 00:18:05.870
strategies, we need to understand how

459
00:18:05.870 --> 00:18:07.950
different types of asteroids respond to

460
00:18:07.950 --> 00:18:10.000
impacts. And that's where this new research

461
00:18:10.080 --> 00:18:10.720
comes in.

462
00:18:11.040 --> 00:18:13.520
Avery: So they focus specifically on iron rich

463
00:18:13.520 --> 00:18:14.080
asteroids.

464
00:18:14.400 --> 00:18:17.080
Anna: Right? What astronomers call M M type

465
00:18:17.080 --> 00:18:19.440
asteroids. These are thought to be exposed

466
00:18:19.440 --> 00:18:22.320
metallic cores of ancient protoplanets

467
00:18:22.320 --> 00:18:24.599
that were shattered in collisions billions of

468
00:18:24.599 --> 00:18:27.280
years ago. They're made primarily of iron and

469
00:18:27.280 --> 00:18:29.840
nickel, unlike the more common rocky

470
00:18:29.840 --> 00:18:31.600
asteroids or icy comets.

471
00:18:31.920 --> 00:18:34.520
Avery: How did they simulate an asteroid impact? In

472
00:18:34.520 --> 00:18:34.880
the lab?

473
00:18:35.450 --> 00:18:37.530
Anna: This is where it gets really clever. They

474
00:18:37.530 --> 00:18:40.330
used a sample of the Campo del CIO iron

475
00:18:40.330 --> 00:18:42.570
meteorite, which is a well studied iron

476
00:18:42.570 --> 00:18:45.170
meteorite from Argentina. They subjected it

477
00:18:45.170 --> 00:18:47.566
to extremely energetic 440

478
00:18:47.734 --> 00:18:50.306
GeV proton beams at CERN's

479
00:18:50.407 --> 00:18:53.170
high RadMat facility. At CERN, that's an

480
00:18:53.170 --> 00:18:54.650
incredibly high energy level.

481
00:18:55.050 --> 00:18:57.210
Avery: And how did they measure what happened to the

482
00:18:57.210 --> 00:18:57.610
sample?

483
00:18:57.850 --> 00:18:59.930
Anna: They used a technique, uh, called Doppler

484
00:18:59.930 --> 00:19:02.810
vibrometry, which can detect tiny surface

485
00:19:02.810 --> 00:19:05.430
vibrations. This allowed them to capture real

486
00:19:05.430 --> 00:19:08.150
time data on how the material responded to

487
00:19:08.150 --> 00:19:10.750
rapidly increasing stress, all without

488
00:19:10.750 --> 00:19:13.350
destroying the sample. They could see exactly

489
00:19:13.350 --> 00:19:15.790
how iron behaved under extreme conditions.

490
00:19:16.190 --> 00:19:17.230
Avery: What did they discover?

491
00:19:17.630 --> 00:19:19.990
Anna: This is where it gets really interesting. The

492
00:19:19.990 --> 00:19:22.350
results showed that M M type asteroids can

493
00:19:22.350 --> 00:19:24.830
absorb significantly more energy without

494
00:19:24.910 --> 00:19:27.070
fragmenting than conventional models

495
00:19:27.070 --> 00:19:29.630
predicted. But even more surprisingly, the

496
00:19:29.630 --> 00:19:31.910
meteorite actually got tougher as it was

497
00:19:31.910 --> 00:19:33.710
subjected to increasing stress.

498
00:19:34.350 --> 00:19:36.430
Avery: Wait, it got stronger under stress?

499
00:19:36.990 --> 00:19:39.790
Anna: Yes. The researchers found that the iron

500
00:19:39.790 --> 00:19:42.230
dissipated more energy as stress

501
00:19:42.230 --> 00:19:44.830
increased, suggesting that the internal

502
00:19:44.830 --> 00:19:47.670
structure of asteroids can redistribute and

503
00:19:47.670 --> 00:19:50.190
amplify stress in unexpected ways,

504
00:19:50.510 --> 00:19:53.150
Similar to what we see in complex composite

505
00:19:53.150 --> 00:19:53.790
materials.

506
00:19:54.350 --> 00:19:57.070
Avery: That seems counterintuitive. You'd expect

507
00:19:57.150 --> 00:20:00.110
materials to weaken under extreme stress, not

508
00:20:00.110 --> 00:20:00.670
strengthen.

509
00:20:01.240 --> 00:20:03.560
Anna: That's exactly why this is such an important

510
00:20:03.720 --> 00:20:06.080
finding. It contradicts what conventional

511
00:20:06.080 --> 00:20:08.840
models have suggested. One of the study's co

512
00:20:08.840 --> 00:20:11.560
authors, Professor Gianluca Grigori from the

513
00:20:11.560 --> 00:20:14.440
University of Oxford, said this is the first

514
00:20:14.440 --> 00:20:16.760
time they've been able to observe in real

515
00:20:16.840 --> 00:20:19.360
time. How an actual meteorite sample

516
00:20:19.360 --> 00:20:22.120
deforms, strengthens, and adapts under

517
00:20:22.120 --> 00:20:24.920
extreme conditions without destroying it.

518
00:20:25.240 --> 00:20:27.440
Avery: So what does this mean for planetary defense

519
00:20:27.440 --> 00:20:27.960
strategies?

520
00:20:28.500 --> 00:20:31.140
Anna: A couple of things. First, it means that iron

521
00:20:31.140 --> 00:20:33.700
rich asteroids might be harder to deflect

522
00:20:33.700 --> 00:20:36.060
than we thought. Because they can absorb more

523
00:20:36.060 --> 00:20:38.820
energy without breaking apart. But it also

524
00:20:38.820 --> 00:20:41.060
suggests that we could potentially deliver

525
00:20:41.140 --> 00:20:43.940
energy deep inside an asteroid without

526
00:20:44.100 --> 00:20:44.980
fragmenting it.

527
00:20:45.300 --> 00:20:47.220
Avery: That could be useful if you want to push an

528
00:20:47.220 --> 00:20:49.060
asteroid rather than shatter it.

529
00:20:49.300 --> 00:20:52.140
Anna: Exactly. The research also helps explain

530
00:20:52.140 --> 00:20:54.820
a long standing puzzle in planetary defense.

531
00:20:55.340 --> 00:20:57.740
Why there's often a discrepancy between what

532
00:20:57.740 --> 00:21:00.420
we infer from meteorite breakup in Earth's

533
00:21:00.420 --> 00:21:02.660
atmosphere. And actual laboratory

534
00:21:02.660 --> 00:21:05.260
measurements of meteorite strength. This

535
00:21:05.260 --> 00:21:07.260
study shows that internal stress

536
00:21:07.260 --> 00:21:09.860
redistribution. Within the heterogeneous

537
00:21:09.860 --> 00:21:12.460
structure of meteorites can explain that

538
00:21:12.460 --> 00:21:12.940
difference.

539
00:21:13.420 --> 00:21:15.020
Avery: This sounds like it could inform new

540
00:21:15.020 --> 00:21:16.140
deflection methods.

541
00:21:16.460 --> 00:21:18.860
Anna: That's the hope. The data could help develop

542
00:21:19.020 --> 00:21:21.580
redirection techniques. That push asteroids

543
00:21:21.580 --> 00:21:24.260
more effectively while keeping them intact.

544
00:21:24.660 --> 00:21:26.620
After all, the last thing you want when

545
00:21:26.620 --> 00:21:29.060
deflecting an asteroid. Is to break it into

546
00:21:29.060 --> 00:21:31.420
multiple pieces that might still pose a

547
00:21:31.420 --> 00:21:31.700
threat.

548
00:21:32.100 --> 00:21:33.900
Avery: Have they tested this with other types of

549
00:21:33.900 --> 00:21:34.980
asteroid materials?

550
00:21:35.220 --> 00:21:37.580
Anna: This particular study focused on iron

551
00:21:37.580 --> 00:21:39.980
meteorites. But the methodology could be

552
00:21:39.980 --> 00:21:42.700
applied to other types of asteroids. Rocky

553
00:21:42.700 --> 00:21:45.460
asteroids, carbonaceous asteroids, and so on.

554
00:21:45.700 --> 00:21:47.940
Each type would likely behave differently

555
00:21:47.940 --> 00:21:50.800
under extreme stress. And understanding those

556
00:21:50.800 --> 00:21:53.080
differences is crucial for developing a, uh,

557
00:21:53.200 --> 00:21:55.760
comprehensive planetary defense toolkit.

558
00:21:55.920 --> 00:21:58.200
Avery: I think what's particularly valuable here is

559
00:21:58.200 --> 00:22:00.040
that they've developed a technique. That can

560
00:22:00.040 --> 00:22:02.640
test actual meteorite samples non

561
00:22:02.640 --> 00:22:05.080
destructively. That means we can build up a

562
00:22:05.080 --> 00:22:07.360
library of data on how different asteroid

563
00:22:07.360 --> 00:22:09.880
materials behave. Without having to rely

564
00:22:09.880 --> 00:22:12.880
solely on computer simulations or destroying

565
00:22:12.880 --> 00:22:13.920
precious samples.

566
00:22:14.320 --> 00:22:16.880
Anna: And as we continue to study asteroids with

567
00:22:16.880 --> 00:22:18.800
missions like Osiris x and

568
00:22:18.800 --> 00:22:21.620
Hayabusa2, we'll have more samples to

569
00:22:21.620 --> 00:22:21.900
test.

570
00:22:22.220 --> 00:22:24.700
Avery: Exactly. The combination of sample return

571
00:22:24.700 --> 00:22:27.500
missions, laboratory testing like this, and

572
00:22:27.500 --> 00:22:29.780
missions like DART that demonstrate actual

573
00:22:29.780 --> 00:22:32.180
deflection techniques. It's all building

574
00:22:32.180 --> 00:22:34.460
toward a real capability to protect Earth

575
00:22:34.460 --> 00:22:35.740
from asteroid impacts.

576
00:22:35.980 --> 00:22:38.420
Anna: It's reassuring to know that even though we

577
00:22:38.420 --> 00:22:40.860
don't face an immediate threat, we're doing

578
00:22:40.860 --> 00:22:43.220
the groundwork now, so we'll be prepared when

579
00:22:43.220 --> 00:22:43.980
we need to be.

580
00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:46.460
Avery: Absolutely. And this research was just

581
00:22:46.460 --> 00:22:49.070
published in Nature communications, so it's

582
00:22:49.070 --> 00:22:51.030
getting a lot of attention from the planetary

583
00:22:51.030 --> 00:22:51.790
defense community.

584
00:22:52.110 --> 00:22:52.750
Anna: Avery.

585
00:22:52.750 --> 00:22:54.990
Our next story sounds like something out of

586
00:22:54.990 --> 00:22:57.710
science fiction, but it's very much real

587
00:22:57.790 --> 00:23:00.550
and increasingly necessary. China

588
00:23:00.550 --> 00:23:03.030
has released the world's first practical

589
00:23:03.030 --> 00:23:05.310
software for keeping time on the moon.

590
00:23:05.710 --> 00:23:08.630
Avery: Lunar timekeeping software. When you say

591
00:23:08.630 --> 00:23:10.990
it out loud, it really drives home how much

592
00:23:10.990 --> 00:23:13.710
space exploration has advanced. Why do we

593
00:23:13.710 --> 00:23:15.710
need to keep time differently on the moon?

594
00:23:16.150 --> 00:23:18.510
Anna: It all comes down to Einstein's theory of

595
00:23:18.510 --> 00:23:21.240
general relativity. Time doesn't pass at, uh,

596
00:23:21.310 --> 00:23:23.790
the same rate everywhere. It's affected by

597
00:23:23.790 --> 00:23:26.750
both gravity and velocity. The moon's

598
00:23:26.750 --> 00:23:28.990
gravity is weaker than Earth's, which means

599
00:23:28.990 --> 00:23:31.949
time actually passes slightly faster on the

600
00:23:31.949 --> 00:23:33.350
moon than it does on Earth.

601
00:23:33.750 --> 00:23:35.750
Avery: How much faster are we talking about?

602
00:23:35.910 --> 00:23:38.790
Anna: About 5, 6 millionths of a second

603
00:23:38.870 --> 00:23:41.710
per day. Now, that might not sound like much,

604
00:23:41.710 --> 00:23:44.200
but it adds up over time, and it can

605
00:23:44.200 --> 00:23:46.600
seriously disrupt navigation systems,

606
00:23:46.920 --> 00:23:49.200
Especially when you're trying to do precision

607
00:23:49.200 --> 00:23:50.680
work on the lunar surface.

608
00:23:51.080 --> 00:23:53.320
Avery: So this is a precision navigation issue.

609
00:23:53.640 --> 00:23:56.360
Anna: Exactly. Think about gps. On Earth,

610
00:23:56.520 --> 00:23:59.200
the satellites constantly have to correct for

611
00:23:59.200 --> 00:24:01.800
relativistic effects caused by gravity and

612
00:24:01.800 --> 00:24:04.520
motion. Those corrections are, uh, what allow

613
00:24:04.520 --> 00:24:07.240
your phone to pinpoint your location within

614
00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:09.640
just a few meters without accounting for

615
00:24:09.640 --> 00:24:12.440
relativity. GPS would be useless within

616
00:24:12.440 --> 00:24:12.880
minutes.

617
00:24:13.280 --> 00:24:15.320
Avery: And the moon is about to have a similar need

618
00:24:15.320 --> 00:24:16.560
for precision navigation.

619
00:24:16.800 --> 00:24:19.240
Anna: Right. In the past, this wasn't really a

620
00:24:19.240 --> 00:24:21.440
problem because lunar missions were rare,

621
00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:24.520
short, and mostly isolated. Engineers

622
00:24:24.520 --> 00:24:27.080
could just use Earth time and apply mission

623
00:24:27.080 --> 00:24:29.680
specific fixes when needed. But that's

624
00:24:29.680 --> 00:24:31.840
changing rapidly because we're about.

625
00:24:31.840 --> 00:24:34.040
Avery: To have multiple spacecraft and eventually

626
00:24:34.040 --> 00:24:36.400
humans operating on the moon simultaneously.

627
00:24:36.870 --> 00:24:39.790
Anna: Exactly. Under those conditions, relying on

628
00:24:39.790 --> 00:24:42.550
custom fixes for each mission becomes risky

629
00:24:42.550 --> 00:24:44.790
and inefficient. You need a

630
00:24:44.790 --> 00:24:47.270
standardized lunar time reference that

631
00:24:47.270 --> 00:24:48.310
everyone can use.

632
00:24:48.870 --> 00:24:51.030
Avery: So what exactly did the Chinese team create?

633
00:24:51.430 --> 00:24:53.110
Anna: Researchers from the Purple Mountain

634
00:24:53.110 --> 00:24:56.030
Observatory in Nanjing developed detailed

635
00:24:56.030 --> 00:24:58.550
software called LTE 440.

636
00:24:59.270 --> 00:25:01.830
That stands for lunar time ephemeris.

637
00:25:02.320 --> 00:25:04.560
It's based on modern planetary data and

638
00:25:04.560 --> 00:25:07.160
tracks how lunar time drifts relative to

639
00:25:07.160 --> 00:25:09.520
Earth time. The software automates

640
00:25:09.520 --> 00:25:11.920
calculations that once required deep

641
00:25:11.920 --> 00:25:14.520
expertise in relativity and celestial

642
00:25:14.520 --> 00:25:15.120
mechanics.

643
00:25:15.600 --> 00:25:16.800
Avery: How accurate is it?

644
00:25:17.040 --> 00:25:19.760
Anna: Remarkably accurate. The researchers found

645
00:25:19.760 --> 00:25:22.120
their method stays accurate to within a few

646
00:25:22.120 --> 00:25:25.000
tens of nanoseconds, Even when projected over

647
00:25:25.000 --> 00:25:27.440
a thousand years. And to keep daily

648
00:25:27.440 --> 00:25:29.920
differences within about 10 nanoseconds,

649
00:25:30.320 --> 00:25:32.760
the calculations need to be accurate to parts

650
00:25:32.760 --> 00:25:35.600
in 10 trillion. Their tests show

651
00:25:35.600 --> 00:25:38.400
LTE 440 meets that standard.

652
00:25:38.880 --> 00:25:40.800
Avery: Why such extreme precision?

653
00:25:41.040 --> 00:25:43.480
Anna: Well, navigation is one driver, but there's

654
00:25:43.480 --> 00:25:45.959
also science. The Moon offers unique

655
00:25:45.959 --> 00:25:48.480
conditions for astronomy. No atmosphere,

656
00:25:48.480 --> 00:25:51.280
minimal interference. One promising idea

657
00:25:51.280 --> 00:25:54.040
is Earth Moon, very long baseline

658
00:25:54.040 --> 00:25:56.520
interferometry, where you link radio

659
00:25:56.520 --> 00:25:59.040
telescopes on Earth and the Moon to create

660
00:25:59.120 --> 00:26:01.090
sharper images of distant objects.

661
00:26:01.520 --> 00:26:03.800
Avery: Um, and that requires extremely precise

662
00:26:03.800 --> 00:26:04.280
timing.

663
00:26:04.360 --> 00:26:07.280
Anna: Right. Signals recorded on both bodies need

664
00:26:07.280 --> 00:26:09.080
to be timestamped to better than a

665
00:26:09.080 --> 00:26:11.720
microsecond to allow for instrument noise.

666
00:26:11.800 --> 00:26:14.360
The underlying time model needs to be even

667
00:26:14.360 --> 00:26:17.320
more accurate. Hence the extreme precision

668
00:26:17.320 --> 00:26:17.960
requirements.

669
00:26:18.440 --> 00:26:20.520
Avery: How does the software actually work?

670
00:26:20.920 --> 00:26:23.880
Anna: Instead of using long equations, they used a

671
00:26:23.880 --> 00:26:26.480
numerical approach based on a planetary model

672
00:26:26.480 --> 00:26:29.360
called DE440, which tracks

673
00:26:29.360 --> 00:26:31.800
the positions and velocities of solar system

674
00:26:31.800 --> 00:26:34.500
bodies with high precision. From that data,

675
00:26:34.740 --> 00:26:37.580
they computed how time near the Moon differs

676
00:26:37.580 --> 00:26:40.020
from a solar system reference time. The

677
00:26:40.020 --> 00:26:42.340
software stores these results in compact

678
00:26:42.340 --> 00:26:44.660
files that can be quickly interpolated.

679
00:26:45.140 --> 00:26:47.060
Avery: What affects lunar time most?

680
00:26:47.540 --> 00:26:49.860
Anna: The Moon's motion and the Sun's gravity

681
00:26:49.860 --> 00:26:52.660
dominate the effect. But Earth, Jupiter,

682
00:26:52.660 --> 00:26:55.540
and even distant objects in the Kuiper Belt

683
00:26:55.540 --> 00:26:58.340
add smaller effects. There are monthly and

684
00:26:58.340 --> 00:27:00.780
yearly patterns that range from milliseconds

685
00:27:00.780 --> 00:27:02.100
down to microseconds.

686
00:27:02.780 --> 00:27:04.700
Avery: I'm curious about the international response

687
00:27:04.700 --> 00:27:07.060
to this. Is China the only one working on

688
00:27:07.060 --> 00:27:07.340
this?

689
00:27:07.740 --> 00:27:10.380
Anna: That's a great question. Jonathan McDowell,

690
00:27:10.380 --> 00:27:12.980
an astronomer at Harvard, told reporters that

691
00:27:12.980 --> 00:27:15.020
similar efforts are underway in the United

692
00:27:15.100 --> 00:27:17.860
States, but he's not aware of another openly

693
00:27:17.860 --> 00:27:20.740
available tool like this. He emphasized that

694
00:27:20.740 --> 00:27:23.140
this shows China is serious about lunar

695
00:27:23.140 --> 00:27:25.540
exploration and is being quite open about

696
00:27:25.540 --> 00:27:27.260
sharing its lunar related research.

697
00:27:28.070 --> 00:27:29.590
Avery: That's actually encouraging from an

698
00:27:29.590 --> 00:27:31.350
international cooperation standpoint.

699
00:27:31.430 --> 00:27:34.030
Anna: I think so, too. And it's worth noting that

700
00:27:34.030 --> 00:27:36.950
in 2024, the International Astronomical

701
00:27:36.950 --> 00:27:39.470
Union adopted a, uh, framework calling for

702
00:27:39.470 --> 00:27:42.190
the Moon to have its own time reference. So

703
00:27:42.190 --> 00:27:44.150
this software really builds on that

704
00:27:44.150 --> 00:27:45.430
international consensus.

705
00:27:45.990 --> 00:27:48.070
Avery: What are the practical implications for

706
00:27:48.070 --> 00:27:48.590
upcoming.

707
00:27:48.590 --> 00:27:50.950
Anna: Missions as lunar activity

708
00:27:50.950 --> 00:27:53.310
increases? And we're talking about

709
00:27:53.310 --> 00:27:56.070
NASA's Artemis program, China's

710
00:27:56.070 --> 00:27:58.950
own lunar base plans, commercial lunar

711
00:27:58.950 --> 00:28:01.270
landers, and more reliable

712
00:28:01.350 --> 00:28:04.070
timekeeping will support safer landings,

713
00:28:04.390 --> 00:28:07.190
smoother navigation, and better coordination

714
00:28:07.270 --> 00:28:10.150
between missions. Eventually, we'll likely

715
00:28:10.230 --> 00:28:13.030
see lunar GPS style systems

716
00:28:13.110 --> 00:28:15.670
that depend on this kind of precise

717
00:28:15.670 --> 00:28:16.550
timekeeping.

718
00:28:16.790 --> 00:28:18.510
Avery: It really is laying the groundwork for

719
00:28:18.510 --> 00:28:20.550
sustained human presence on the Moon.

720
00:28:20.960 --> 00:28:23.880
Anna: Absolutely. And the Researchers emphasize

721
00:28:23.880 --> 00:28:26.680
that LTE 440 is just an

722
00:28:26.680 --> 00:28:29.480
early step. Future versions will need to

723
00:28:29.480 --> 00:28:32.480
support real time navigation and networks

724
00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:35.400
of lunar clocks. But the release marks

725
00:28:35.400 --> 00:28:37.880
a shift from abstract planning to

726
00:28:37.880 --> 00:28:39.360
practical infrastructure.

727
00:28:39.600 --> 00:28:41.680
Avery: It's one of those things that sounds mundane

728
00:28:41.760 --> 00:28:44.560
time software, but is actually fundamental to

729
00:28:44.560 --> 00:28:46.080
making lunar operations work.

730
00:28:46.710 --> 00:28:49.550
Anna: Exactly. You can have the fanciest rockets

731
00:28:49.550 --> 00:28:51.670
and landers in the world. But if your

732
00:28:51.670 --> 00:28:54.230
spacecraft can't agree on what time it is,

733
00:28:54.310 --> 00:28:56.830
you're going to have problems. This is the

734
00:28:56.830 --> 00:28:59.750
kind of unsexy but essential infrastructure

735
00:28:59.750 --> 00:29:02.070
work that makes the exciting stuff possible.

736
00:29:02.630 --> 00:29:04.910
Avery: For our final story today, let's talk about

737
00:29:04.910 --> 00:29:07.710
the Hubble Space Telescope. After 35 years in

738
00:29:07.710 --> 00:29:09.790
orbit, it's still delivering incredible

739
00:29:09.790 --> 00:29:10.230
science.

740
00:29:10.630 --> 00:29:13.380
Anna: It really is remarkable. NASA just

741
00:29:13.380 --> 00:29:15.980
released a new gallery of Hubble images

742
00:29:16.060 --> 00:29:19.020
showing protoplanetary disks around young

743
00:29:19.020 --> 00:29:21.780
stars, essentially the birthplaces of

744
00:29:21.780 --> 00:29:24.540
planets. And these images beautifully

745
00:29:24.540 --> 00:29:27.100
illustrate one of Hubble's original mission

746
00:29:27.740 --> 00:29:29.740
understanding how planets form.

747
00:29:30.060 --> 00:29:31.700
Avery: Can you walk us through what we're seeing in

748
00:29:31.700 --> 00:29:32.220
these images?

749
00:29:32.700 --> 00:29:35.540
Anna: Sure. When stars form, they're surrounded

750
00:29:35.540 --> 00:29:38.460
by gas and dust left over from the formation

751
00:29:38.460 --> 00:29:41.380
process. In the early stages, this is called

752
00:29:41.380 --> 00:29:44.300
a circumstellar disk. But once planets

753
00:29:44.300 --> 00:29:46.580
start forming in the disk, we call it a

754
00:29:46.580 --> 00:29:49.340
protoplanetary disk. These disks are

755
00:29:49.340 --> 00:29:52.060
where planetary systems like our own solar

756
00:29:52.060 --> 00:29:52.900
system come from.

757
00:29:53.220 --> 00:29:55.379
Avery: What makes these particular images special?

758
00:29:55.700 --> 00:29:58.020
Anna: Hubble captured them using two different

759
00:29:58.100 --> 00:30:00.860
approaches. The visible light images taken

760
00:30:00.860 --> 00:30:03.540
with Hubble's Advanced Camera for Surveys,

761
00:30:03.780 --> 00:30:06.700
show four plutoplanetary disks where you

762
00:30:06.700 --> 00:30:09.380
can actually see polar jets of gas

763
00:30:09.940 --> 00:30:12.340
shooting out from the young stars. You can

764
00:30:12.340 --> 00:30:15.100
also see brightly lit nebulae, and

765
00:30:15.100 --> 00:30:17.660
there's this cool effect where the dark band

766
00:30:17.660 --> 00:30:20.420
around each star is actually a shadow

767
00:30:20.420 --> 00:30:23.220
cast onto the nebula by the disk itself.

768
00:30:23.780 --> 00:30:26.540
Avery: That's wild. So we're seeing the shadow of

769
00:30:26.540 --> 00:30:28.100
the planet forming disk.

770
00:30:28.420 --> 00:30:31.260
Anna: Exactly. And each of these systems has

771
00:30:31.260 --> 00:30:33.780
unique characteristics. One, called

772
00:30:33.860 --> 00:30:36.820
HH390, isn't quite edge

773
00:30:36.820 --> 00:30:39.420
on, so you only see one side of its

774
00:30:39.420 --> 00:30:41.020
nebulosity. Another,

775
00:30:41.260 --> 00:30:44.060
TAU042021,

776
00:30:44.220 --> 00:30:47.220
is seen edge on and is in a later stage

777
00:30:47.220 --> 00:30:49.380
of evolution where the dust grains have

778
00:30:49.380 --> 00:30:51.980
already clumped together into larger grains,

779
00:30:52.220 --> 00:30:54.220
which is part of the planet formation

780
00:30:54.220 --> 00:30:54.620
process.

781
00:30:55.100 --> 00:30:57.740
Avery: What about that third one, HH48?

782
00:30:57.980 --> 00:31:00.300
Anna: Oh, that's particularly interesting.

783
00:31:00.700 --> 00:31:03.340
HH48 is actually a

784
00:31:03.340 --> 00:31:06.260
binary protostar system. And you can see

785
00:31:06.260 --> 00:31:08.900
how the gravitational power from the larger

786
00:31:08.900 --> 00:31:11.580
star is shaping the disk around its less

787
00:31:11.580 --> 00:31:14.540
massive companion. It's a great example of

788
00:31:14.540 --> 00:31:17.020
how stellar environments affect planet

789
00:31:17.020 --> 00:31:17.540
formation.

790
00:31:17.940 --> 00:31:19.900
Avery: And, um, the infrared images show something

791
00:31:19.900 --> 00:31:20.260
different.

792
00:31:20.660 --> 00:31:23.220
Anna: Right. The infrared images taken with

793
00:31:23.220 --> 00:31:26.060
Hubble's Wide Field Camera three show

794
00:31:26.060 --> 00:31:28.540
the bright protostars despite being

795
00:31:28.540 --> 00:31:31.180
surrounded by dust. Dust absorbs

796
00:31:31.180 --> 00:31:34.020
starlight and then re emits it in infrared,

797
00:31:34.100 --> 00:31:36.970
which allows Hubble to see the stars. The

798
00:31:36.970 --> 00:31:39.570
jets aren't visible in these infrared images,

799
00:31:39.570 --> 00:31:42.290
but you get a much better view of the stars

800
00:31:42.290 --> 00:31:44.210
themselves and their dusty disks.

801
00:31:44.610 --> 00:31:47.410
Avery: Where are these protoplanetary disks located?

802
00:31:47.970 --> 00:31:50.490
Anna: Most of them are in well known star forming

803
00:31:50.490 --> 00:31:52.890
regions. Several are in the Orion

804
00:31:52.890 --> 00:31:55.610
Molecular Cloud Complex. That's one of the

805
00:31:55.610 --> 00:31:58.290
most active star forming regions visible from

806
00:31:58.290 --> 00:32:01.250
earth, located about 1500 light years

807
00:32:01.250 --> 00:32:04.050
away. Others are in the Perseus Molecular

808
00:32:04.050 --> 00:32:04.450
Cloud.

809
00:32:05.070 --> 00:32:06.950
Avery: Now we also have the James Webb Space

810
00:32:06.950 --> 00:32:09.150
Telescope observing these kinds of objects.

811
00:32:09.310 --> 00:32:11.310
How do Hubble's observations compare?

812
00:32:11.710 --> 00:32:14.430
Anna: That's a great question. JWST

813
00:32:14.670 --> 00:32:17.390
has been doing incredible work on protostars

814
00:32:17.390 --> 00:32:20.270
and protoplanetary disks too. In fact,

815
00:32:20.429 --> 00:32:23.390
there was research published in 2024 based on

816
00:32:23.390 --> 00:32:26.190
JWST observations showing that

817
00:32:26.190 --> 00:32:29.110
some young protostars have layered structures

818
00:32:29.110 --> 00:32:32.030
of winds and jets, inner jets surrounded

819
00:32:32.030 --> 00:32:33.870
by outer cone shaped jets.

820
00:32:34.430 --> 00:32:36.670
Avery: So the two telescopes are complementary.

821
00:32:37.230 --> 00:32:40.150
Anna: Exactly. Hubble excels in visible and

822
00:32:40.150 --> 00:32:42.910
some infrared wavelengths, while JWST

823
00:32:43.230 --> 00:32:45.950
is optimized for infrared. Together they give

824
00:32:45.950 --> 00:32:48.390
us a much more complete picture. For

825
00:32:48.390 --> 00:32:50.510
instance, Hubble can show us those beautiful

826
00:32:50.510 --> 00:32:53.150
jets and nebulae in visible light, While

827
00:32:53.150 --> 00:32:56.070
JWST can peer through dust to

828
00:32:56.070 --> 00:32:58.510
see the nested structure of winds and jets

829
00:32:58.590 --> 00:33:00.320
using different chemical tracers.

830
00:33:01.030 --> 00:33:03.150
Avery: How much longer can we expect Hubble to keep

831
00:33:03.150 --> 00:33:03.670
operating?

832
00:33:04.070 --> 00:33:07.070
Anna: That's the big question. Hubble was launched

833
00:33:07.070 --> 00:33:10.070
in 1990 with an expected 15 year

834
00:33:10.070 --> 00:33:12.510
lifetime, but it's now lasted more than

835
00:33:12.510 --> 00:33:15.350
35 years thanks to five servicing

836
00:33:15.350 --> 00:33:18.310
missions. However, it is showing its age.

837
00:33:18.550 --> 00:33:21.110
The telescope has been losing gyroscopes,

838
00:33:21.190 --> 00:33:23.670
which means it takes more time to point at

839
00:33:23.670 --> 00:33:26.550
targets. Observations are down by about

840
00:33:26.550 --> 00:33:29.430
12% with a corresponding reduction

841
00:33:29.430 --> 00:33:30.470
in science output.

842
00:33:30.940 --> 00:33:32.220
Avery: But it's still functioning, right?

843
00:33:32.620 --> 00:33:35.380
Anna: Oh, yes. NASA expects Hubble to keep

844
00:33:35.380 --> 00:33:37.940
operating into the 2000 and 30s. And there's

845
00:33:37.940 --> 00:33:40.500
been talk, though it's not confirmed, of a

846
00:33:40.500 --> 00:33:42.660
possible servicing mission that could extend

847
00:33:42.660 --> 00:33:43.900
its life even further.

848
00:33:44.460 --> 00:33:46.380
Avery: Who would conduct that servicing mission?

849
00:33:46.940 --> 00:33:49.700
Anna: That's the interesting part. NASA doesn't

850
00:33:49.700 --> 00:33:51.820
have the Space Shuttle anymore, which was

851
00:33:51.820 --> 00:33:54.540
used for all previous servicing missions. Any

852
00:33:54.620 --> 00:33:56.860
future servicing mission would likely involve

853
00:33:56.860 --> 00:33:58.980
a, uh, commercial spacecraft, possibly

854
00:33:58.980 --> 00:34:01.260
something from SpaceX or another company

855
00:34:01.260 --> 00:34:03.000
developing servicing capabilities.

856
00:34:03.560 --> 00:34:05.560
Avery: It would be amazing if Hubble could keep

857
00:34:05.560 --> 00:34:06.840
going for another decade.

858
00:34:07.320 --> 00:34:09.800
Anna: It really would. And if it does, it'll

859
00:34:09.800 --> 00:34:12.200
continue contributing to our understanding of

860
00:34:12.200 --> 00:34:15.000
star formation, planet formation, and

861
00:34:15.080 --> 00:34:17.680
so many other areas of astronomy. These

862
00:34:17.680 --> 00:34:20.400
protoplanetary disk images are a perfect

863
00:34:20.400 --> 00:34:22.840
example of how Hubble is still answering

864
00:34:22.840 --> 00:34:25.680
fundamental questions about how planetary

865
00:34:25.680 --> 00:34:27.480
systems like ours come to be.

866
00:34:27.880 --> 00:34:30.080
Avery: When you think about it, Hubble has literally

867
00:34:30.080 --> 00:34:32.350
changed our view of the universe from the

868
00:34:32.350 --> 00:34:34.790
Hubble Deep Field to these protoplanetary

869
00:34:34.790 --> 00:34:37.190
disks. From measuring the expansion rate of

870
00:34:37.190 --> 00:34:39.390
the universe to studying exoplanet

871
00:34:39.390 --> 00:34:41.430
atmospheres, it's been an incredible

872
00:34:41.430 --> 00:34:42.150
horsework.

873
00:34:42.630 --> 00:34:45.190
Anna: Absolutely. And the fact that it's still

874
00:34:45.190 --> 00:34:47.670
delivering cutting edge Science More than 30

875
00:34:47.749 --> 00:34:50.350
decades after launch is a testament to the

876
00:34:50.350 --> 00:34:52.670
foresight of designing it to be serviceable

877
00:34:52.670 --> 00:34:55.310
and upgradable. It's a model for how we

878
00:34:55.310 --> 00:34:57.070
should think about building space based

879
00:34:57.070 --> 00:34:57.910
observatories.

880
00:34:58.640 --> 00:35:00.360
Avery: Well, that wraps up today's episode of

881
00:35:00.360 --> 00:35:02.800
Astronomy Daily. We covered a lot of ground,

882
00:35:02.960 --> 00:35:05.080
from the uncertain fate of NASA's MAVEN

883
00:35:05.080 --> 00:35:07.720
orbiter to the historic ISS medical

884
00:35:07.720 --> 00:35:10.360
evacuation, from Europe's expanding launch

885
00:35:10.360 --> 00:35:12.680
capabilities to groundbreaking asteroid

886
00:35:12.680 --> 00:35:13.440
defense research.

887
00:35:14.160 --> 00:35:16.480
Anna: And we learned about lunar timekeeping

888
00:35:16.480 --> 00:35:18.720
software that will enable the next generation

889
00:35:18.720 --> 00:35:21.240
of moon missions. AMB saw how Hubble

890
00:35:21.240 --> 00:35:23.360
continues to reveal the birthplaces of

891
00:35:23.360 --> 00:35:26.130
planets after 35 years in orbit.

892
00:35:26.840 --> 00:35:28.800
Avery: It's been quite a week in space news, and

893
00:35:28.800 --> 00:35:30.360
we've only just scratched the surface.

894
00:35:30.840 --> 00:35:33.120
Anna: Before we go, a quick reminder that you can

895
00:35:33.120 --> 00:35:35.560
find more space and astronomy news at our

896
00:35:35.560 --> 00:35:38.360
website astronomydaily.IO and

897
00:35:38.360 --> 00:35:40.400
don't forget to subscribe so you never miss

898
00:35:40.400 --> 00:35:41.080
an episode.

899
00:35:41.400 --> 00:35:43.520
Avery: You can also follow us on social media for

900
00:35:43.520 --> 00:35:45.360
bonus content and updates throughout the

901
00:35:45.360 --> 00:35:45.640
week.

902
00:35:46.040 --> 00:35:47.560
Anna: Thanks for joining us today, everyone.

903
00:35:48.120 --> 00:35:49.960
Avery: Clear skies and we'll see you on Monday.

904
00:35:50.200 --> 00:35:51.560
Astronomy Day

905
00:35:53.320 --> 00:35:56.260
Stories we told the.

906
00:36:01.300 --> 00:36:01.700
Story.

907
00:36:09.620 --> 00:36:10.020
For

908
00:36:10.020 --> 00:36:13.680
tomorrow.